This is War
by YukariSakura
Summary: Relationships, injuries, teamwork and school are just few of the complications and obstacles Eren Jaeger is going to face in his goal to be recognized. Being on a team full of idiots is just one of the minor problems. SnK Basketball AU.
1. Prologue

**This is War**

**A/N: **

**So the summary's really bad and I'll probably end up changing it once I've written more chapters. This is just a really short introduction to the characters basically and the next chapter will focus more on the game and maybe more Levi! unfortunately no Levi in this chapter but soon friends, soon.**

**I've been planning this fic for weeks, I've literally got pages of character quirks and positions planned for all the teams. Not much development yet, this really is a bad first chapter but it needed to done to start the basis of the fic off.**

**Sorry for any mistakes! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned SnK, Levi would be Eren's bitch or vice-versa.**

* * *

Everyone has their own preferences, hobbies and traits. People all have that one thing that no matter what's going on in their lives, they will go and do or take part in that thing. Whether it be reading, running, sleeping. _Anything. _For Eren Jaeger, his thing was Basketball.

Distracting himself by playing with the black wristbands he was wearing, if he didn't calm down he was going to snap and Mikasa would kick his ass. His thoughts started to wonder towards _him _and how badly he wanted to see him play again. How badly he wanted to play _against _him again. How badly he wanted to become a better player just to _show _him.

But fuck what everyone around him had to say, he was damn good at this sport.

"So why the fuck do I have to be on a fucking team with him?" Eren growled under his breath. This was totally unfair, it was his second week at Shinganshina High and it was the start of his painful journey into High School life.

Eren had been playing basketball ever since he could remember; the feel of the ball on his hand was so familiar and homely to him. Fuck if he could marry a basketball he would. He stopped playing with his wristband and started playing with the waistband of his white basketball shorts with black outlining. His dark green T-shirt shifted up and revealed his tanned hipbone and a glimpse of his toned abs.

"Shut up you cocksucker and get the fuck over it, I'm captain of the damn team be grateful I even let your ass join." Jean was as equally annoyed, just thinking about having to be on the same team with this brat made him want to spoon his eye out.

"Blow me Kirschtein."

Eren was a simmering pot of anger and being on the same team has this tool was going to make him combust. His ocean blue eyes glistened with defiance and anger and slowly turned into a darker emerald green with specks of amber and gold.

"Guys if you don't shut the fuck up I'm going to jam this ball up so hard up your asses you're not going to be able to shit properly for a week," Mikasa's authoritative tone effectively shut both of the boy's mouths. She tucked some of her shoulder length silky black hair behind her ear before continuing. "Okay, so as all you freshmen remember we had tryouts last Friday and after a lot of thought and processing Jean and I have the team covered."

She held out a piece of paper with a list of all the names and positions of the new players for the team.

**Jean Kirschtein – ****Center**

**Marco Bodt – Small Forward**

**Eren Jaeger – Power Forward**

**Bertholdt Fubar – Shooting guard**

**Sasha Braus – Point Guard**

A shiver went down Eren's spine, he knew he'd make the team but he couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of playing. He licked his chapped lips, he was a step closer to playing _him_.

"These are just the regulars but don't worry if your name isn't up there, it's likely that you'll still be able to play but you'll spend a lot of time on the bench, but we're going to focus the next few weeks on developing everyone's strengths and core as a team." Mikasa explained further.

Jean and Marco were second years at Shinganshina, as is Mikasa. There was a predominant lack of third years as the school was still relatively new and most third years were too busy focusing on their studies rather than taking part in extra-curricular activities. The rest were all first years.

Eren looked around the gymnasium that held the basketball courts at all the other's that names hadn't made the list, his best friend Armin being one of them. He sent him a knowing look, although he may not look it Armin was one of the best players Eren's seen for his age. He may not be physically strong but he made one hell of a point guard and strategist, he would probably spend most of his time on the bench with their coach, Mikasa, watching their opponent's plays and increasing the efficiency of the team with his sharp tactics.

The brunet looked at the others, Connie Springer, Thomas Wagner, Franz and some other freshmen Eren didn't recognize. Connie would probably end up playing if Marco needed a break but he wasn't sure about the others. A lot of the team he already knew from middle school but he hadn't had to deal with Kirschstein for a whole year and now he was stuck with his ass for god knows how long a week.

Another thing that annoyed Eren to no end about Jean was that he was always up his sister's ass. Mikasa was adopted into Eren's family when he was nine years old and she was ten, but he thought of her as his own blood. Subsequently, as Mikasa is the coach of the team he now had to deal with this shit more often.

"Our first match will be a practice match against Trost High before we take part in the Tokyo High Championships in two months, that will give us plenty of time to scope out and see what we're up against," called out Mikasa. "I've purposely chosen Trost because I know for sure that they are going to annihilate us." She burrowed her head further into her crimson scarf as she waited for everyone to take in the new information.

Eren stood frozen in his spot at the mention of Trost. _No fucking way. _He wanted it so badly but he wasn't ready yet. He wanted to cry tears of frustration, _I'm not strong enough yet, I'm not ready. _What in the world was his sister thinking.

The freshmen looked absolutely puzzled at the thought. Trost High was a Grammar school towards the north of Tokyo. It was also the same school that is the defending champion of the Tokyo Finals for the past 5 years. Trost was an incredibly well known name in the industry of High School Sports and were regularly featured in professional sport magazines. The team has been completely undefeated for the last 3 years, their last defeat was in a preliminary match by a single point.

Hushed whispers erupted within the gymnasium that was containing all the players.

"_Did you hear about that second year at Trost who used to be a thug? I heard he's killed a man._"

"_Dude, we literally have no chance of winning against Trost, I don't care how strong Jaeger and Kirschstein are, have you seen the size of their centre?_"

Eren scratched the back of his head, he knew just how strong Trost were after hearing about his Sister's own experiences with the team from last year, he honestly had no clue what she was doing setting up their first practice match against one of the strongest High School teams in the whole of Japan. He took a look at Armin and saw that he was staring intensely at Jean, his eyes sky blue eyes clouded over. Eren frowned watching his friend's own personal inner turmoil. Nevertheless Armin probably had some sort of idea on what was planned; he probably understood Mikasa's logic. He looked away and stood with his hands fisted at his sides, determination flowing through his body. But Eren couldn't shake away that nervous feeling that had sunk down into the core of his stomach.

Jean interrupted the chaos with a loud sigh, "What Mikasa is trying to say is that by putting us up against the strongest team, we're going to suffer our first huge loss early on in the year, rather than later. It's going to prepare us for the other monster teams out there, so shut the fuck up. If you can't handle the pressure then fucking leave and stop being pussies," He ran his large hand through his multi-tonal hair and closed his eyes. "If anything, we just don't want a repeat of last year, which is why we're going to work extra fucking hard this year. Our sub's are going to be just as strong as our regulars, we are going to make everyone fucking remember this team, do you understand?"

He didn't get much credit for it, but even Eren had to admit that Jean made a great leader. He was the complete polar opposite of Eren. Jean understood weakness, whereas Eren is more hotheaded and impulsive. He just wanted to get this over with even if they lost the practice match. By the time they got to the championships, hopefully Eren would be strong enough to hold his own.

"Okay fuckfaces, Kirschtein is right even though I hate to admit it. We don't want any half assed players so leave right fucking now if you can't handle it. Now let's get this moping around over and done with and start fucking practicing." Eren scoffed. He was already sick of this, he just wanted to play ball and work on developing the team. His eyes met with olive green ones, just a shade darker than his. The sweating teen sent him a small thankful smile.

Bertholdt really was a weird one. He was the tallest on the team, probably the tallest in the entire school, he stretched to being nearly two meters tall, and after watching him play last week, Eren could see a lot of potential in him as strong player regardless of the puddles of sweat he released. But it somehow seemed as if he was missing something, or _someone_.

In the end nobody decided to leave, Eren was somewhat relieved. They were already a small team as it was; they needed all the spare players they could get. Everyone was already dressed in their sweats, baggy tee's and basketball shorts all of differentiating colors sans Mikasa who was still in her School uniform.

Mikasa was one of the best basketball players Eren had ever seen, full stop. Her skill level was above if not equal with professional players in America but after an incident in Middle School she opted out of actually playing and decided to use her skills to develop other players as a coach. Eren knew it was just a way for her keep an eye on him.

They split into teams of five, Eren was on the same team as Jean, Sasha and two other freshmen, whereas Armin, Bertholdt, Connie, Marco and Thomas were their opponents. Eren frowned. He was on a team with Jean, which all in all wasn't bad because Jean specializes in plays near the baseline and rebounds which were Eren's own weaknesses.

He took a tentative look at Sasha and unsurprisingly the teenage girl was stuffing her face with potato chips, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, some things never do change. Two years ago after many complaints from female teams and players, some higher echelon came to the decision that mixed sex teams should be allowed because of the lack of female players and opportunities for the other sex. He had only met Sasha and Connie last week at tryouts; at first he doubted what she was capable of after watching her stuff her face before playing. Sasha was undoubtedly good at directing plays and handling the ball. She was an extremely quick floor guard and although her excessive eating habits may paint another picture, her lean and short figure increased her speed on the court.

Henceforward Eren was worried because although he knew he had two strong players on his make-shift team, he couldn't deny that Armin's team was without a doubt the stronger team.

Although Marco may emit an angelic presence and give off the innocent and charming vibes, when it comes to basketball he was aggressive an incredibly versatile player. He scored the most 2 pointers last week at tryouts. Weighing a whopping 70 kg of pure muscle mass, when it came to games he wasn't to be messed with or underestimated.

Jean and Marco made a formidable team on the courts, the chemistry between the two was almost unbearable.

Not to mention Connie was like a fucking monkey on the courts and it's basically impossible to keep an eye on him for a long period of time.

Eren sighed. This was going to be a long night of practice.

* * *

**A/N: WHO DOES EREN KEEP TALKING ABOUT? We'll get an insight more into Eren's personal life in the next chapter, it will be a while until you get any hot and steamy Eren and Levi action but it is coming. Sorry for the awful chapter but I hope it really does get better.**

**OTL (;_;)**


	2. Welcome to the New Age

**This is War**

**A/N:**

**So the summary's really bad and I'll probably end up changing it once I've written more chapters. This is just a really short introduction to the characters basically and the next chapter will focus more on the game and maybe more Levi! unfortunately no Levi in this chapter but soon friends, soon.**

**I've been planning this fic for weeks, I've literally got pages of character quirks and positions planned for all the teams. Not much development yet, this really is a bad first chapter but it needed to done to start the basis of the fic off.**

**Sorry for any mistakes!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned SnK, Levi would be Eren's bitch or vice-versa.**

* * *

_Bounce. Pass. Rebound. Run_. Look left. Look Right. Jump. Break through. Screen. Catch. His sneaker's made a sharp squeaking as he made agile turn away from Connie's desperate hands, the rubber ball situated firmly in his left hand. He bounced it once before faking a turn to the left and making a 180 degree turn and breaking through Connie and Marco's defense. Sweat dribbled down Eren's face as he made a clean break. Cautiously dribbling the ball he approached the opposite basket.

_Crouch. Grip the ball. Jump_. The brunet's thoughts were interrupted by the loud shrill of a whistle. Eren sighed, he was so close this time. Looking at the score boards he wasn't surprised at the matching digits. It really had been a tough match. He threw the ball in the hoop regardless of the match being called to an end. The slightly worn orange sphere made a smooth transition from his hands and up into the net, just a simple set shot.

"Whilst I was watching you all play I've already noticed where some of your weaknesses are," the monotone of his sister's voice drew him from his thoughts. "One of the first thing's we're going to work on as a whole team is developing teamwork with one another. Eren you didn't think to pass to Jean once throughout that whole game. And Jean don't look at him like that, you were close to making a foul against your own teammate had Sasha not intervened." Mikasa let out a heavy sigh; they all still had such a long way to go.

The coach took a look at the sweating teenagers that were stood in front of her. _They knew it too. _"Go get changed, we'll start the real training on Monday." She looked down at her clipboard that contained written notes on how the match had progressed and all the players.

* * *

He didn't feel satisfied with the way he played. He needed more. Why did Mikasa have to end it so quickly.

"Eren?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked to the side and was met with the concerned faces of Armin and Mikasa. They were walking home from school and it was already starting to get chilly. Mikasa pulled her scarf closer to her face as if to protect her from some unknown entity; it had become a habit of hers in the last few years.

"Sorry what were you saying? I wasn't paying attention." He responded. He really needed to stop spacing out when he wasn't alone.

Armin shook his head. "We were asking if you wanted to go to one of the street courts and then go get something to eat, we've got nothing better to do plus it's Saturday tomorrow."

"Sure."

Mikasa hummed in reply. It wasn't long before they reached some of the outdoor courts near their neighborhood. To their surprise they were already occupied. By the looks of it, High School students like them.

"Should we just watch until they leave? It might be a good idea to get some inspiration from some streetball." Armin suggested. The trio took a seat on a bench just outside of the courts that were protected by a high wired fence.

Eren watched intently, as much as he loved to play basketball he also loved to watch it with the same passion. He leaned forward and settled his hands on his knees. His fingers were a rosy hue as a result of the weather.

There were four players on the court. One appeared to be female and the other three were clearly male but what intrigued Eren was the height of one of the male players or lack thereof compared to the others, _no way._

* * *

Levi exhaled in annoyance. How had he let that shitty glasses convince him to come to the courts when he could be at home in the comfort of his own home and the sweet smell of cleaning products. His fingers twitched as he felt the presence of the ball coming near him. The short teen handled the ball and powered through Mike's poor attempt of defense, he approached the baseline and the gravel crunched beneath his feet as he hurtled his body in the air. His lean back almost became parallel with the ground as he flipped the ball into the hoop whilst he was still airborne

He landed on his feet and caught the ball once again as it descended from the hoop and made a quick pass to his tall blonde friend. Erwin feinted away from Hanji's screen, turned left and threw the ball back behind him at the dark haired teen.

Erwin was a tall, huge player. With neat blonde hair and striking blue eyes he was also incredibly good looking. With looks that could kill, his basketball skills were also above average.

Levi caught the ball and was met by Mike's stronger offense. Levi dropped his standard form, feinted and moved left, then right and then left again. He pivoted on his left foot, bounced the ball and broke free of Mike effectively pushing him to the ground with his brute strength.

By making unnecessary movements and not staying stationary it unlocks a more varied amount of angles meaning it was easier for Levi to make different shots. His height was an advantage in games because it meant that players often underestimated him and didn't judge his movements correctly.

Levi grunted as he spun and vaulted himself into the air again, he transferred all his weight into his left leg before he jumped up using the momentum for a quick and agile dunk. Once again he caught the rebound and threw it back in Erwin's direction.

The ball hit it's mark but didn't make any further movements, Levi's stormy blue eyes narrowed. _What the fuck is the problem now?_

"Looks like we've got some spectators, ne Levi?" Hanji's teasing voice mused out loud.

He looked at Erwin who was still gripping the ball and followed the direction he was staring in. Just outside of the courts sat three other teenagers who seemed keen on watching them play.

"Brats."

"Let's call it a day and head home or go get something to eat, we can't reveal all of Levi's flashy moves to others just yet." Erwin's low voice echoed throughout the empty courts, he passed the ball back to Levi.

Levi blinked and slapped the ball into Hanji's direction, as expected she caught the ball. He pushed his hand through his short black hair and glanced in the direction of where the other teens were sat but saw that they were already standing up and preparing to leave themselves.

* * *

The group grabbed their bags and belongings and exited the courts, Levi still bouncing the ball calmly whilst he walked. They approached the other trio of teens and he let out a low quiet chuckle, _so these are the kids he was talking about, how fascinating._

Armin, Mikasa and Eren headed in the opposite direction of the larger group. A cold firm hand landed on Eren's shoulder as they crossed paths effectively stopping him in his tracks. The brunet looked to the side as his eyes met with cold grey orbs.

Physique wise Levi was like the polar opposite compared to Eren. Levi was pale and short but extremely built. He didn't have bulging muscles like Erwin but nonetheless you could tell that he took care of his body. He had short black hair parted down slightly towards the side with an undercut and very distinct features. All in all Levi was absolutely gorgeous.

Whereas Eren was inches taller and tanned. He wasn't as built as Levi he was more toned and accentuated. He had short chestnut colored locks and ever changing eyes that could switch from cerulean blue to jungle green. At this moment in time they were a violent shade of turquoise gleaming with determination in contrast to Levi's stone cold bored gaze.

The two stared at each other for what seemed like a lifetime before Levi released his hold of the taller teens form and continued sauntering away without saying a word.

Eren stood in shock, shoulders tense and hands fisted at his sides. He watched the group slowly walk away and the sound of the ball bouncing in the short pale teen's hands echoing in his mind. He gave him one last look before turning around and catching up with Mikasa and Armin. He felt extremely envious of that extremely attractive short guy and his impressive basketball skills. It almost hurt his pride that he felt so overpowered by someone to short but he couldn't help but respect the other teen.

Eren suddenly felt that he was so inexperienced after watching them play. He knew he was a good player but somehow he felt as if he was suddenly a tiny fish swimming in an ocean surrounded by monsters. He got the idea that the way he was playing was far too simple and basic if he was going to be playing against people like him. He was incredibly flexible and undoubtedly strong compared to Eren. He suddenly felt very stiff and frustrated.

"Dude, what just happened?" Armin immediately questioned when Eren finally caught up.

"…For the first time in my life, I honestly have no clue." Eren replied as he turned his head and glanced at the back of the head of his short assaulter.

Eren placed his hand on his shoulder where he had grabbed him, it still felt abnormally cold as if his hand was still there.

"Who was he?" He mused.

"Funnily enough Eren that, is who we're up against next." Mikasa's usual cold monotone was sharper than usual and had a clear undertone of anger to it. She was evidently angry that some midget had just laid hands on her precious brother. "His name's Levi and he's a second year like me. He's Trost's strongest player. Don't let his height fool you he's nearly impossible to beat. If you were watching closely you would've noticed that his moves are unpredictable, he literally has no form. He has the flexibility of a gymnast and the strength of a fully grown football player." Mikasa buried her head into her red scarf once again shielding her face away from the cold.

Eren was unsure on how to feel on the matter. He could feel Levi's strength just by watching him. His shots were perfect and his speed was unbeatable. If he was that aggressive in a playful match with his classmates then Eren could only imagine how formidable he would be in an actual game.

"Seriously Eren, you better watch out when playing against him. Just from observing I can tell that he's most likely the most versatile player Trost has. He could probably play every position without a flaw, his technique literally is flawless and we haven't even seen him play properly yet." Armin voiced out his own thoughts. When he watched Levi play it was like a barrage of warning signs going off in his head.

"Fuck man, I don't even want to play anymore. Let's just go home." Eren sighed. He felt drained from that small encounter. It was as if Levi had sucked all his enthusiasm out of him. He brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes. He just wanted to go home and crawl into bed and close himself out from the world

* * *

After walking Armin to his house which he shared with his grandfather, Eren and Mikasa walked back to their own household. Their house was situated in a nice and friendly neighborhood. They weren't rich but they weren't poor either. The basketball courts they'd just left were only a ten minute brisk walk from their house, so Eren was happy regardless.

Their father was a traveling doctor who only came home maybe four times a year. He still sent regular amounts of money and paid the bills but the lack of their father figure really affected their lives.

Grisha Jaeger had left after Eren's mother died of cancer when he was twelve years old. Consumed with remorse and guilt, he had left after a huge argument with Eren and ever since they've never been on good terms. Grisha and Carla's disappearance from their lives meant that all of a sudden Eren and Mikasa had to put their childhood on hold and grow up and take responsibility for themselves.

Eren thought back to the countless arguments he'd had with his father and flinched when he remembered when they started to become more and more violent.

Their four bedroom house was kept neat and tidy in honor of their mother but it seemed so big and empty to the siblings. Eren unlocked and pushed the front door open, hung his keys up and took of his shoes. Mikasa followed in suit and went to the living room. Eren was absolutely exhausted. He climbed the stairs and his room was the first on the left.

Eren was so tired. Actually, tired was an understatement. He bit his lip and positioned himself in a more comfortable sitting position on his bed and swapped his gakuran for a towel around his waist and went to go shower.

Maybe he'd feel more refreshed after a nice hot shower. But first maybe a little nap.

He collapsed back on his bed, and just as he closed his eyes and was about to drift into a slumber a vibration from his phone shocked him out of his state of dormancy. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath about being interrupted. Eren caught sight of his phone out of the corner of his eye, he searched around for his device and was greeted with a nice surprise.

**One New Message:**

**Unknown Number : 080 76 XXX XXX:**

_So you're Eren huh?_

Eren stared at his phone screen in confusion. The light reflected in his eyes as he reread the message. _Who the fuck was texting him and how did they get his number. _A deep unsettling feeling sunk deep into his gut.

**Eren: **_Who is this? And how did you get my number?_

The response want almost instantaneous.

**080 76 XXX XXX: **_I was hoping you would be smarter than that, brat. Think about something that happened in the last hour. Don't worry kid, I have sources._

Eren frowned at his phone. The only person that Eren could think of that this could possibly be was Levi. But that was nearly impossible; Levi didn't know who he was. He heard Mikasa turn the TV on downstairs. He wanted to know who this person was.

Thinking about Levi made Eren experience a whole new feeling. He was attracted to Levi. But he wasn't sure whether he was attracted to Levi because of his appearance or because of the way he played basketball.

A sudden realization came to Eren. If Levi was on Trost's team as Mikasa had said, then that would mean that he was on the same team as…

**Eren: **_Levi?_

His brows furrowed. What did he want with him, was this one of his fucked up games. Like he didn't already have enough fucking stress in his life.

* * *

Levi smirked as he was alerted of his new message. Asking _him _for his number really was a good idea. _What an interesting kid._


End file.
